Dozens of Turkish-Cypriot media outlets—and countless social-media accounts—lit up this week with claims that a low-cost carrier had begun direct flights from London to the northern, Turkish-controlled part of Cyprus. The reports quoted ‘confirmation’ from coalition premier Ünal Üstel and specified AJet (a Turkish Airlines subsidiary) as the operator.
The Cyprus Investigative Reporting Network (CIReN) checked the story and found it entirely false. Official transcripts of Üstel’s 5 August remarks contain no reference to direct flights, nor has AJet filed the route with civil-aviation regulators in the UK, Turkey or Cyprus. The UK Department for Transport reiterated to CIReN that it recognises only the Republic of Cyprus’s airports at Larnaca and Paphos; operating a flight to the unrecognised Ercan/Tymbou airport would breach international obligations and void airline insurance.
![Fact-check: No, the UK has not started direct London–North Cyprus flights]()
Why the rumour matters: misleading reports can prompt travellers—especially members of the Turkish-Cypriot diaspora—to make non-refundable bookings through third-party websites that do not actually have ticketing authority. Mobility-compliance teams at global companies with North-Cyprus-based staff also risk basing duty-of-care plans on erroneous assumptions about evacuation routes.
CIReN’s debunking underscores the importance of verifying aviation news through primary sources such as NOTAMs, CAA route databases and official airline filings. For now, travellers must still route via Turkey to reach the north, adding a layer of visa and work-permit complexity that employers should build into assignment timelines.
The Cyprus Investigative Reporting Network (CIReN) checked the story and found it entirely false. Official transcripts of Üstel’s 5 August remarks contain no reference to direct flights, nor has AJet filed the route with civil-aviation regulators in the UK, Turkey or Cyprus. The UK Department for Transport reiterated to CIReN that it recognises only the Republic of Cyprus’s airports at Larnaca and Paphos; operating a flight to the unrecognised Ercan/Tymbou airport would breach international obligations and void airline insurance.
Why the rumour matters: misleading reports can prompt travellers—especially members of the Turkish-Cypriot diaspora—to make non-refundable bookings through third-party websites that do not actually have ticketing authority. Mobility-compliance teams at global companies with North-Cyprus-based staff also risk basing duty-of-care plans on erroneous assumptions about evacuation routes.
CIReN’s debunking underscores the importance of verifying aviation news through primary sources such as NOTAMs, CAA route databases and official airline filings. For now, travellers must still route via Turkey to reach the north, adding a layer of visa and work-permit complexity that employers should build into assignment timelines.
